Top Letters And Comments, September 24, 2021

Paul Niles at N90.

Good Gravy, There’s Another Paul?

It was great to read your story, Paul, and learn about that voice. I have been flying through Paul N.’s sector frequently the past few years and got to know the voice and appreciate his expertise. I was flying there the other week and heard many other pilots express their best wishes to Paul on frequency. I didn’t know what the occasion was but now I know it was all about his retirement. With so many people wishing him well, it was surely a sign of their respect and appreciation for his professional service over the years.

Frank Arrison

As an N90 alum, I had the distinct pleasure of both working with (albeit we were in different sectors) and working (providing ATC services) for Paul. Your description of Paul is very accurate! A consummate professional and just the nicest guy you could ever hope to meet! Fair winds and clear skies, Paul! Hope you’re enjoying your retirement half as much as I’m enjoying mine!

Brian Fallon

Fantastic! Not only super controller, but super pilot also! My controller retirement, however, only allowed me to feed mogas into a 4 gph Aeronca. Paul may have been permitted to continue past age 56 because of the year in which he hired into FAA. I can’t remember if it was ’83 or ’86, but hiring before then, you were exempt from the mandatory age 56 thing. I was and I told them if they didn’t treat me good, I was going to continue vectoring until I was drooling all over the scope.

Roger Anderson

Rolls-Royce Flies Electric Prototype

Rolls Royce made an excellent choice to work with Jon Sharp of Nemesis Racing installing their electric motor/battery/ESC in an NXT. 300mph will be an easy goal to achieve with their current combo. Once reliability and cooling parameters are met, I would not be surprised to see this airplane at Reno. It could be contender within the sport class and the unlimited. I believe 400+ is well within striking distance for the Spirit of Innovation. This airplane is worth following.

Jim Holdeman

KITPLANES’ Video: SubSonex Jet Flight

Thanks for the ride, Paul! How cool is that… I want one, now… ok, next life maybe. 😉

Some outside footage of the jet in flight would have elevated the vid to perfection, but again, I sure enjoyed the ride!

Dan

Poll: What Did You Think Of SpaceX's Inspiration4 Flight?

Let’s face it, orbital capsule flight is basically “spam in a can.” I’m sure the Dragon capsule would have pulled it off regardless of whether there was a crew on-board or not. OTOH, very glad so much money was raised for St. Jude, so kudos to the crew and especially Elon for chipping-in 50 million! – John Austin
Give me a break! The technology is incredible and will lead to greater the things without a doubt. However, a “crew?” I don’t think so. “Tour-Nauts” would be more appropriate. The “Commander” is the guy who paid for it. The “Pilot” wasn’t. The “Medical Officer” has no degree and simply works in the healthcare industry and the last guy won his seat in a raffle given to him by a friend. All good people I am sure, but not a “trained crew” as anyone in aviation understands. Some things they may have been able to respond to, but let’s not call them “astronauts” (the FAA isn’t!) Space tourism is coming as will be the inevitable accidents and the “crew” will be as they are now, along for the ride.
Very cool. It was nice to see the capability to go to a higher orbit and still recover the booster. Also nice to see people go somewhere besides the ISS, if only for a joyride.
All hype. The ‘all civilian’ crew is irrelevant semantics. The charity part is to make it less obnoxious; if the billionaire was interested in charity he should have just given the cost of the flight to St Jude’s.
Space flight is SERIOUS business. The crew can celebrate privately on their own time. I don't think that posing as heroes was appropriate. The John Glenns, Virgil Grissoms, and pioneers can afford that luxury.
Good accomplishment. Y’all be careful up there.
Another toy for the super-rich, we'll have to pay more for everything so they can do it!
Reckless waste of resources. And insulting to real astronauts to name these passengers as pilot, commander, etc.
Inspiration4 gives an old guy like me hope since 6 months of training is all that is needed to pilot a ship.
Thank goodness we have an innovative and successful company like Space-X.
Great engineering era but not available to common man.
Didn't even know it happened until it was over.
I watched this launch for the same reason I have watched all previous launches; for the landing of the 1st stage. So far, they haven't gotten old.
A lot of money for no purpose.
Reminds me of Challenger - all dandy till somebody gets killed.
Don't CARE! I'm now out due to cost.
Neat to see, but they aren't astronauts.
Interesting, perhaps ground-breaking, but only time will tell the full significance (if any).
An important development for SpaceX but let’s not refer to passengers as “crew.”
I'm pleased to see commercial flights into space but want to see more science done rather than a cheap vacation trip. More thrill ride than anything.
High risk, low reward.
Space travel for a few wealthy people is not something we need right now!
Inspirational, and a demonstration of SpaceX capability.
We are forgetting how dangerous space travel is.
Rich kids’ fantasy.
As a fund-raiser, congratulations! As a stunt, meh.
Intellectually speaking, I know I should care about this. The first private space mission is history in the making, dawn of a new era, etc. But in my heart... I just don't care.
What a waste, and totally unjustifiable pollution.
Never saw it, never followed it.
Just another example of America's love of the almighty dollar! Billionaires wasting billions while the rest of the population starve!
Like the Space Shuttle, they've lost the public’s attention and won't get it back unless they kill (or almost kill) a load of astronauts. Boring is good!
Jealous.
That accomplishment is almost as large as Elon Musk's ego.